


CRACK

by CarsonDW



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Blackouts, Confusion, Fluff, M/M, Men of Letters Bunker, Sleepy Cuddles
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-02-07
Updated: 2014-08-20
Packaged: 2018-01-11 12:55:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1173328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CarsonDW/pseuds/CarsonDW
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean and Castiel have always had a profound bond. Castiel would do anything to protect Dean and rescue him from whatever hell he's in. After Dean's nightmares become more prominant, Castiel realizes that maybe Dean needs a little rescuing from everyday life. He does the only thing he can think of and the two finally realize what they want: each other. Castiel makes more and more cracks in the wall Dean has put up until it's broken down and he lets Cas in.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I Heard You

**Author's Note:**

> First ever Supernatural Fanfic. Please let me know what you think or if there are any major corrections I seem to have missed.

CRACK. The gun fired. The rifle exploded at the end, firing a bullet that raced to the man's chest. The bullet broke through the body easily, leaving the man swaying for a brief moment before collapsing. CRACK.  
Dean sat up fast, choking on his own breath, he was breathing shallow and heavy. Inhaling fast and deep, Dean choked a hard bubble of air. Droplets of sweat mixed together and formed a thin coating all over him. Dean grabbed at his t-shirt, tearing it up and off his skin like it was choking him. His eyes felt wet, strained, and panicked. His breath caught in his throat again and he gave low heave that made his mouth feel raw. He held his head down, trying to calm himself, concentrating. His bedroom door swung open with a large CRACK as it dented the wall. Castiel stood, looking wide eyed and eyes knit together in focus.  
"Dean?" Castiel asked  
"What?" Dean squinted at him.  
"Are you ok?" Castiel demanded with urgency.  
"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine, just go to bed."  
"Weren't you choking?"  
"Yes Cas! Go!" Castiel peered at Dean in the dark. "I'm totally fine Cas". Castiel's shoulders relaxed, accompanied by a heavy sigh.  
"Dean is this you lying again? I don't understand why you lie when my room is right next door. I can hear you."  
"Cas, it was just a bad dream, that's all. I really wish you wouldn't wake up for everything".  
"I don't."  
"Cas, you've come in here every night this week. Take it easy!"  
"But every night you yell in your sleep."  
"I do not yell!"  
"You yell dean." Castiel strode into his room and sat down next to dean on his bed. Dean rubbed his face in his hands and looked at the angel. He certainly didn't seem very angelic at the moment. Blue boxer shorts hung from his hips and a worn grey undershirt covered his upper half. Castiel looked back at dean, confused and waiting for Dean to speak. Dean opened his mouth but he stopped himself. His lips turned up into a dopey smile.  
"Cas they're just dreams. That's all."  
"Dean, they make you unhappy."  
"Yeah, you could say that." Castiel's eyes followed Dean's down to the plaid bedspread, up to the corner of the room and back on his own. "But I am ok Cas, as you can see." The corners of Dean's mouth turned into a frown again for a split second before returning to a small considerate smile.  
Castiel tried to focus on every part of Dean's face while he talked. Whether he knew it or not, Dean's face could give everything away, it had so much to it. His mouth's sporadic changes and his eyes. No matter how hard he tried Castiel never could seem to fully master what the look in Dean's eyes meant. They moved so quickly and with so much feeling in every fraction of every second that Castiel couldn't keep up. Only God would know Castiel thought. He had learnt some of Dean's most common looks; annoyance, anger, and devastation. When Dean spoke to Castiel he desperately tried to cover his real emotions. There was a strong wall Dean had built to hide anything that he thought seemed vulnerable. It only made sense with the years of training to lie and being lied to by those closest to him. He had learned that people would take what was valuable to him if it was ever exposed. Dean had lost enough, more than any one person should have to.  
"Yes Dean. I don't feel the need to sleep anymore though."  
"To be honest, I'm not tired either." Dean's eyebrows raised and eyes lost in thought. "Do you want to just stay here?" Dean asked as he motioned to the bed.  
Castiel glanced down at the bed and scratched his neck, "That would be very nice, thank you". As Dean relaxed back into his pillow, Castiel crawled to the left side of the bed and crawled under the covers beside Dean, tucking himself in and gave Dean a look to say "Yes?"  
"Cas."  
"Yes Dean?"  
"You know the whole personal space thing?"  
"Yes?" Dean looked into Castiel's soft blue eyes and saw the innocence and simplicity of kindness there. Cas just looked so comfortable already in his bed, under the few covers that were there.  
"You're getting better at it." Castiel smiled and Dean grinned at him, pulling his legs out from under the covers and lying down flat beside Cas. There was a moment of silence while the two just laid beside each other. Neither knowing what to say or what should happen next.  
"So what were you dreaming about?" Castiel asked cocking his head so he could see Dean's face. Dean didn't look back at him though, he continued to stare at the roof and then down at his bare chest. He fiddled with the pendant on his necklace, rolling it around between his thumb and index finger.  
"Just hunting stuff".  
"I thought you liked hunting?"  
"I do." Dean dropped his pendant back to his chest and laid his hand over it. "Actually, I don't". Castiel debated turning to look at Dean or to continue to look elsewhere, anywhere. Nothing in the room was as interesting as Dean though. He rolled over to face him, and waited for Dean to continue.  
"I just- just want something…"  
"More?" Castiel suggested.  
"It doesn’t have to be more Cas, just different is all." Castiel looked at Dean with longing, longing to be able feel what he was feeling right then. "I'm fine with having Sam, and you and saving people. I just want… I want it to be a little happier is all." As soon as Dean said it, all Castiel could see was his wish. The want for happiness was written all over Dean, he just hadn't read it before.  
"Dean, what makes you scream?"  
"I really don't want to talk about it Cas. We already shared enough feelings."  
"Dean-"  
"Cas!"Dean yelled in frustration. Dean rolled over to look at Cas and saw him look so confused, so desperate and searching for something. "I had a bad dream. Can we leave it at that?"  
Castiel saw Dean's anger rising but he couldn't stop. "Dean, I know you don't enjoy expressing your personal thoughts and feelings but I understand it's supposed to be beneficial for you."  
Dean stared at him in shock. Cas didn't tend to push these smaller matters when it was clear Dean didn't want to. Dean sat up, to face the wall in front of the bed, which blocked Cas's view of Dean's face. Now all Castiel could see was the long line of Dean's back which went down to meet the elastic waist of Dean's black boxers. Goosebumps mixed with freckles dotted Dean's skin.  
"You can't save me from everything Cas." Dean shook his head while he spoke, he pulled his legs up to his chest and hugged them there. Castiel rose up on his elbows at Dean's words. Horrified and stricken at the thought because Castiel always thought he could. There never seemed like there would be a time when something arose that Castiel couldn't fix for Dean. He had pulled Dean out of Hell, and helped him on countless occasions. There were things that Castiel never counted on Dean to need saving from though. Castiel gazed at Dean's back, slowly rising and falling with breath and yearned for a solution. Any possible way to cure Dean of his sickness. His unhappiness.  
"But I will try." Dean gave a small laugh and glanced over his shoulder at Cas lying there. Cas obviously thought it was the most normal thing in the world, to lie in Dean's bed at three in the morning, half dressed. Dean fell back against his pillow and quickly pulled the blankets from under him to on top of him.  
"You really want to know huh?" Dean asked.  
"Yes, Dean. Please." Castiel smiled and turned to face Dean, getting comfortable.  
"Ok. I was dreaming about hunting- like normal. But this time, I was the one getting hunted. I was running through some woods with nothing to help me. No weapons or anything. All I could hear was gunshots and wind- the wind was so loud." Dean's eyes flickered shut and Castiel could see he was uncomfortable. "Then I… well I saw this man holding a smoking gun. So... I raised my arm and I hear the loudest God damn noise. This crazy, crack like when you break a bone but louder!" Castiel looked puzzled at this comparison. "Just- it sucks! Anyway, when the bullet hit, I felt the shot. I didn't even know I had a gun! So the man turned around and… well it was me." Dean swallowed and turned to look at the ceiling again.  
There was a moment where nothing was said. Dean continued to stare up at the roof, controlling each breath. Trying to keep the ones out from shaking. Castiel's eyes softened, flicking across Dean's face. The man who always seemed so big, so mature and aged for someone in his thirties, looked smaller now.  
"Anyway, that's why I screamed. Not what you'd expect to do it, huh?" Dean pulled the sheets up to his armpits and crossed his arms on top. "That should do the trick of putting you to sleep. You tired yet?" He turned his head to glance at Castiel across the pillows.  
Castiel gave Dean a gentle smile, "No. I thought it was exciting actually".  
"Pssh", Dean gave a low chuckle. "Sure, Cas. You happy now?" It wasn't Dean's biggest problem at the moment or the most pressing but it was the one that seemed to be having the most effect on him. Dean was killing himself over and over again, with nothing to really look forward to when he got out of bed. Castiel thought that Dean Winchester was someone that should look forward to every morning, every evening, every afternoon. He worked harder than anyone Castiel had ever seen, and it was showing too. Dean's face was layered with hard lines, skin rough and dark. Dean's hands gently ran over the cotton sheets and Castiel watched the callused fingers tap nervously across knuckles.  
"Not yet". Dean quickly turned back to Cas and searched his eyes. He didn't see anything but warmth, and care in those familiar blues. Dean smirked his classic smirk.  
Dean's face quickly contorted back to a more serious one. "I think I might try to sleep again ok Cas?".  
"Sure Dean" Castiel said with a nod.  
"Well… I'll see you tomorrow I guess. Thanks for coming and staying for a bit". Dean rolled over onto his shoulder, facing away from Cas.  
Castiel didn't move. He laid there watching Dean's rigid shoulders rise and fall, thinking. He couldn't let Dean continue having nothing, only looking forward to waking up to destruction and not happiness. With great caution, Castiel slowly shuffled himself right up against Dean's bare back.  
"Cas what the-"  
"Dean."Castiel cut him off with a soft and direct shut down. "Please just… let me do this for you". Dean laid with breath caught and body tense until Cas reached his arm over Dean's side and wrapped it around his abdomen. A couple seconds passed where the only sound was Castiel's breathing while Dean's breath was hitched in his throat once again. Cas felt Dean's body heat radiating off of his stomach and drew him closer to hold Dean tighter.  
Dean's eyes were wide and alert with confusion and fear but once he felt Cas's arm squeeze tight around him, he decompressed. Cas's warm body against his was like a shelter in a rainstorm. Dean snuggled back into Cas's chest. Castiel smelled the hunter's body and felt instantly soothed. The two of them quickly molded to fit each other. They lay there, happier than either had been in a long time. Cas was all the protection Dean needed. The wall he had taken so long to build up was starting to break. Cas had made it happen with a resounding, echoing crack.


	2. A Most Unfortunate Morning After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Castiel wakes up to find Dean gone and angry about something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't think this would become a multiple chapter thing but it seems to be headed in that direction so enjoy and please leave a comment if you'd like! They are appreciated!

Morning came creeping in still, and silent into Dean's room. Dean and Cas were casually sprawled in Deans bed. Dean lay flat on his stomach, head cocked to his left and gently resting on his pillow. Cas was in a similar position, side pressed against Dean's, his face directed towards Dean, only inches away. Castiel's arm was draped over Dean's bare waist, hugging the men tight to each other.  
Dean awoke slowly, blinking rapidly, rubbing the evidence of sleep from his eyes. That was by far the best rest he had in ages. His body's muscles had relaxed, he felt loose, and could have stayed in bed all day, in a good way. The nightmare's affects were outweighed by the rest of his night. Why? "Damn." Dean muttered glancing around him. "Oh God!" Dean scrambled out from under the cotton sheets and fell, quite ungracefully, backwards off the bed and onto the wood floor. His head turned every which way, scanning the rest of the room and came back to Castiel in his bed. He stared at the sleeping angel with confusion and fright in his eyes. Dean's eyes relaxed and he let out a sigh. The very early hours of the morning came back to the forefront of his mind and he almost smiled. The corners of his mouth twitching up every time he recalled the warmth of the Cas's arm around his bare waist, skin on skin.  
What the hell? This wasn't him! Cas was a friend, an angel, a man. Dean looked down and sure enough, he was still in his boxer shorts, and boxer shorts only. God, what am I doing? Dean dragged his hands down his face, letting out another sigh of exasperation. Dean stood up slowly, gazing down at the sleeping angel; dark brown hair mussed from bed, shirt bunched up around his waist, dark stubble littering his face and arm laid where Dean used to be. He was within kissing distance when they woke up. Did they kiss?! Dean could feel his eyes go wide and he quickly grabbed some clean clothes from the dresser and ran down the hall to shower for breakfast. Too scared to do anything else.  
Castiel woke up feeling a little drowsy still, drunk from sleep, cozy sheets and a night of helping Dean. Dean. Dean? Cas's eyes went wide and alert when he saw the empty half of mattress beside him. The sheets looked like they had been almost yanked off the bed. "Dean?" Castiel asked with a voice that was raspy from waking up. The room was silent except for the sound of the rustling sheets. Cas turned over and sat up, peering around, eyes squinted in confusion. He ran a tongue over his lips and probed his eyes for the dust that came from sleep. Where could he have gone? Why did he leave?  
Castiel knew that what he had done was best. Dean needed someone more than anything. Everyone he has had in his life left. Naturally he was lonely, of course Dean's loneliness was the least of his worries. Even though Dean was tense at first, he relaxed soon enough. Dean fell asleep quickly, breathing slow and even, the usual hard expression he had melted away. Castiel didn't dare sleep for a couple hours after Dean drifted off and he was glad he stayed awake. Dean eventually rolled over and wrapped his arm around Castiel, pulling him close enough that their noses brushed against one another. Dean was a funny man. He was always so concerned with the way people saw him as being the toughest hunter around but he was such a softy. Castiel smiled and let out a small chuckle at the recent memory before slipping out of bed and strolling to the kitchen for breakfast.  
Dean walked with heavy feet to the kitchen, his usual frown stuck on his face. The shower hadn't helped much. Why was that sleep so good? He shouldn't enjoy sleeping with Cas so much. He was… Dean Winchester damn it! What the hell was going on? Whatever happened was some sort of fluke. Something must be wrong with Cas. Except nothing was wrong with Cas, not now. What was it supposed to mean? Dean didn't get a chance to answer any of the questions swirling around in his head because when he rounded the corner into the kitchen, Cas was leaning against the counter with a bowl of cereal, wearing the same t-shirt and blue boxers from the night before, his hair was still mussed and face unshaven. He stood there eating his mini-wheat cereal like nothing had happened. Cas looked up at him and Dean didn't even realize that he had been staring.  
"Good morning Dean" Cas raised his favourite yellow cup full of coffee in acknowledgment before taking a sip and returning to the bowl of cereal in front of him. Dean licked his lips and ran a hand through his damp hair. Should he respond? Dean couldn't think of anything to say to Cas. He half muttered a "hi" under his breath but Cas couldn't hear it, even he knew that.  
Castiel stopped munching the mini-wheat's for a moment, someone was coming down the hall. He listened and recognized the footsteps as Deans. He heard a human say once how extraordinary it was that people recognize each others footsteps. It was a sign of knowing someone very well, like family. Castiel's lips curled up again, with the cereal in his mouth and he looked up to see Dean staring at him. "Good morning Dean", Cas raised his yellow cup of coffee in greeting, excited to see Dean again already. Not much time had passed but he always liked to see Dean. He returned to eating, expecting Dean to sit down or say something but instead was greeted with silence and the sight of Dean's back strolling into the next room. What was wrong? Did I do something wrong? Castiel looked down at his body. Was it something physically? He was wearing his normal morning attire, he smelled fine. Cas tipped the cup for another sip of the hot coffee but instead dumped the burning brown liquid on his crotch. "Argh!" Castiel lept away from the counter, dancing around so his clothes wouldn't cling to his skin. "So hot! Ah!" Castiel fanned his shirt away from his body. The sensation of hot coffee was apparently most unpleasant on the human body.  
Dean half ran and half slid into the kitchen with wide eyes, "What? WHA-". Dean stopped himself short, watching the Angel prancing around the sunny kitchen with coffee stains all down his front. "Cas!" Dean called to catch his attention. Castiel turned to face him, still jumping on the spot with a very pained expression. Dean slowly walked over and put his hands on Cas's shoulders to cease the jumping but pulled away quickly once he realized that he had touched Cas. "What's wrong with you? Come on, go get changed man". Dean knew he was treating Cas like a child but that touch threw him off. What did touch mean now? "Go on!" Dean ushered Cas impatiently downstairs. What the hell was wrong with him? Cas wasn't a kid, he didn't need to scold him for Christ's sake!  
Cas marched down the stairs as quickly as he could, so… embarrassed. Dean was upset. He seemed so mad! Castiel yanked the shirt over his head once he reached the bottom of the stairs before heading to his room. It wasn't just annoyance, this was a mad Dean, mad like how he sometimes got at Sam. But what had he done? "Do nothing right anymore" Cas mumbled to himself while he changed out of the boxers and put on a fresh pair along with some jeans and a faded blue t-shirt. Castiel opened the door to his room to see Sam strolling past on his way to the kitchen.  
"Oh hey Cas" Sam said quickly turning around to see him.  
"Hey Sam" Cas greeted with a sigh. Sam was still nice at least. Nice and his usual self.  
The rest of the day followed the same sort of pattern with Dean. Cas would try and talk to him or just be by him and every time Dean would shut him down. He cut Cas off when he would be talking and walk away. He even would not very subtly move away from him when they were nearby each other. It was an endless parade of disappointment every time Cas would gather the courage to try again. Even Sam noticed.  
"What's with him?" Sam asked Cas around lunch after Dean had spilled a glass of juice when his fingers brushed against Cas's. Dean had left to change his shirt.  
"I have no idea".  
"You two fight?"  
"Not at all actually".  
"Huh. Well he's so sensitive you never really know." Sam said with a shrug before returning back to his bowl of soup and phone.  
Castiel studied Sam. He didn’t look too concerned. Was he just overreacting to Dean's behaviour?  
"Hey, Cas. Garth wants to show me stuff tonight, for the computers and archive stuff. Do you think you and Broody Moody will be ok?  
"Yes Sam. I'll be perfectly fine. I don't know who this Moody person is but she should be fine too." Cas smiled at Sam reassuringly.  
"Alright well if he really gets on your nerves just call me ok? It's supposed to storm tonight but you should still be able to call me if you want."  
"Thanks Sam." Castiel smiled and turned back to his bowl of soup. His first big storm as a human and a night with Dean and he has his best friend mad at him for something. Castiel finished his soup and began figuring out what to do with Dean tonight.


	3. The Blackout

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam's left to visit Garth. Dean' s still frustrated about the night before and Castiel is still confused. Dean's ready to leave to avoid some sort of talk between him and Cas when the power goes out because of the storm raging outside.

Castiel looked up from the page of his book to watch Dean stroll past without a word. Castiel's stomach twisted in a knot and he dropped the book on the table and rested his hands on top of its cloth cover. He read the title again, Romeo and Juliet. Sam had recommended it but he couldn't focus. Guilt sat heavily in the pit of his stomach. What did he do? All he wanted was for Dean to say something, anything at all really. He laid his head to rest on the glossy wood tables and let out a long, low groan. "Uhhhhhhhhh.". This was going to be a long night.  
"Dean" he called out into the bunker. "Dean?" Castiel called again. There was no response. Castiel let out a heavy sigh and squeezed his eyes shut tight in concentration. There had to be something he missed, anything! He heard thunder rumble overhead. Storms were so loud for humans! As an angel, storms always sounded like very muffled rumblings. Even the worse ones were only as loud as a clothes dryer. Here he heard it deep in his body and it seemed the entire bunker was vibrating with the electric current. He heard quick footsteps approaching from down the long hallway and turned expectantly, hoping for some sort of conversation.  
"I'm out." Dean muttered under his breath as he passed Cas at the table without a glance in his direction. He wouldn't be able to handle a whole evening just fighting with himself about what to do with Cas. He had already been acting like a dick all day. Sam had been keeping things together and decently normal but he had disappeared with Garth. He felt bad enough about Cas already. If he stayed he would have to see the hurt on Cas's face and that was something he did not want. He needed to clear his head, meet some girl maybe! He didn't know where to go, just anywhere he wouldn't have to deal with this Cas business. The garage wasn't far away, if he could just put enough distance between him and Cas. The thunder pounded overhead, its force increasing every minute and Dean knew that he had to leave now if he was going to go. "Don't wait up."  
Castiel saw Dean was wearing his old leather jacket and had the Impala's keys dangling from his fingers. "Wh- where are you going?" Castiel stuttered at him in surprise. He shoved the chair back from the table to stand up, stumbling a little. He couldn't believe this, Dean was actually leaving because of him? "Dean!" but Dean moved quickly, escaping from Castiel's calls. "Dean! Stop!" Castiel bellowed in his most commanding, angel voice. Dean slowed to a complete stop mid-step but still faced away from Cas. His body was tensed, shoulders up by his ears and fists clenched at his sides, waiting for what was to come. The Thunder sounded as if it was trying to break the bunkers roof in. Castiel could picture the storm raging outside- with the clouds ominous and black, churning around the sky like a witch's cauldron. Lightening was coming down in sinister forks every fifteen seconds, splitting the sky apart. The two of them heard the rain pounding down around the bunker in their silence. Castiel blew out a deep breath in frustration, at least he had Dean's attention.   
"What's wrong Dean?" Castiel asked much softer this time.   
Dean didn't turn around. He couldn't look at Cas's face, if he did then he knew he would have to stay and try and make sense of this situation with Cas. "Nothing" Dean said quickly. "I just need to go for a drive is all. By myself." Dean didn't need to turn around to know what Cas's face must have looked like. He must have been so confused and angry. "I'll be back later".  
"Come on Dean! Stop!" Castiel croaked out past the lump sitting in his throat. The moment Castiel yelled "Stop!" all power in the bunker went out with a shock and they were left in complete darkness. The air was heavy and tense. Castiel let out a heavy sigh and took in a shaky breath. The sudden black out spooked him. Without any light from the night outside it was impossible to see anything. Castiel shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot before murmuring softly "Dean?" out into the dark void.  
"You ok Cas?" Dean asked, trying to hide the high amount of concern in his voice. God, he needed to leave now before anything else happened. Before Cas said anything more.  
"I'm fine Dean."  
"Ok… well I'm going to go then."  
"Dean, you don't have to go."  
"I'll be back soon, don't worry about me."  
"I don't think it's safe!"  
"Cas ju-" Dean didn't get to finish his sentence because his foot missed the top step and he began to tumble downwards. He slammed into every single step, over and over again. The blunt edges jabbing every inch of his skin and he let out grunts, coughs and yells. The wind completely knocked out of his body. His head screaming in pain and finally his leg banged hard on the wall and pain seared all the way up his calf. He finally hit the bottom and rolled around the concrete floor of the garage in complete darkness, gasping for air.   
"Dean!" Cas called into the darkness. He edged forward to what he believed was the stairs to the garage. "Dean, are you ok?" there was a long silence but Castiel could hear some hard, shallow breaths a fair distance down.   
"C- Cas!" Dean tried to yell in a raspy chocked voice. "Cas!"  
"Dean!" Cas dropped to the floor and felt his way to the stairs. "I'll be right there!" he yelled down into the abyss. Cas stretched a foot out to find the first step. Slowly he felt his way down the stairs while Dean's breathing got louder and louder as he approached.   
Cas eventually pushed his foot into something soft which gave a low "uuunnn". "Dean?"  
"Yeah it's me." Dean groaned out. He rolled onto his back and reached his hand out to find a face to match the voice. His fingers found a scratchy face and he let his arm fall back to the ground satisfied. He didn't even care anymore about avoiding Cas, he was in too much pain. He couldn't see a damn thing! He just needed help from someone, from Cas.  
"I'm here Dean" he reassured him. "What happened?"  
"Well I was leaving, and then I wasn't."   
"What hurts?"  
"Everything."  
"I don't think this is a time to joke Dean"  
"Just help me up ok?" Cas felt for Deans arm and latched on to the smooth leather sleeves. He pulled hard and Dean collapsed to the ground instantly with an "Aaahh! I can't walk Cas, it might be fractured or sprained."  
"Here" Castiel wrapped Dean's arm around his neck and held it there in his own hand. He put his other arm around Dean's waist to hold him upright. Cas breathed in Dean's musky smell, he always smelled good. It was the smell of his soap. Dean talking to him again put his mind at ease.   
Dean's body felt like he had been tumbling down a rocky hill for days or at least like he had been working on an especially violent case. Cas picked him up with no problem, and he felt his whole body melt into Cas's. Too tired to care, Dean tightened his grasp on Cas and let him take carry him while Dean limped along.   
They climbed the stairs slowly, feeling their way along. Once upstairs, Cas- with great difficulty- brought Dean into the nearest bedroom he could find and set him on the bed. Cas sat beside him and they sat there in silence for a moment.   
"I guess I'll go now." Cas began to stand up.  
"What? Where are you going?" Dean spat out.  
"I just figured that you wanted me to leave. You wanted to go, and couldn't so now I am."  
"Cas-" but Cas was already standing and ready to leave.  
"It's ok Dean."  
"Will you knock it off Cas!" Dean mustered what little energy he had and sat up to stop him.  
"Dean, it's what you want."  
"No it isn't! Now come on, sit your ass down." Dean grabbed Cas's shirt and pulled him back down on the bed.   
"Are you sure you want me here?"  
Dean gave a heavy sigh, and placed a hand on Castiel's shoulder, "Cas will you stay with me please?"   
Even though Cas couldn’t see Dean, he could tell that he was serious. He still wanted some sort of an apology eventually. "Of course Dean." And Castiel smiled knowing that Dean wanted him there.  
"So?"  
"Yes Dean?"  
"I don't know." Dean gave a small laugh and stretched himself out on the bed across the soft sheets. He stared up into the darkness and felt another twinge of pain in his leg. "Do you think there's some Advil or some booze or something in here maybe? Or both?" Dean grabbed his leg and tried twisting it a couple different ways before grimacing in pain.   
"I'm sure I can find something. Do we have a flashlight?" Castiel felt around the edges of the bed looking for some sort of nightstand that would hold a flashlight or candles at the least. He felt the edges of smooth, and glossy wood and continued to graze his fingers over every side looking for the handle. He found one and pulled the drawer open with a screech. He felt around, cloth, bottle, paper, steel? He grabbed the cold bar of steel, pressing down in the search for an on switch.   
"For God's sake Cas!" Dean reached out and roughly grabbed the flashlight of Cas's hands. He rubbed his hands up the length of the handle and found the small rubber button. A beam of light shot out and hit Castiel in the face causing him to wince and shield his eyes with his bare arm. "Oh, sorry." Dean smiled and placed the flashlight under his face "You good to go look for some pills?"  
Castiel smiled and grabbed the flashlight from Dean, mimicking his similar position with the flashlight under his face. "I'll be back in a jiff." Castiel said in an ominous voice while he slid off the bed and wandered out into the hallway, searching the details of walls to get his bearings.   
"And grab some candles if you can!" Dean bellowed to the black and empty hallway.   
"Ok!" He heard Cas shout faintly from somewhere else in the bunker.   
Dean propped himself up on his elbows and glanced where Cas was only a few moments before. With a heavy sigh, Dean fell back against the mattress and rubbed his hands over his face and through his hair. Cas was such a good friend and here he had been acting like such a dick to him all day. Cas deserved better, a hell of a lot better. He pushed aside the thoughts of last night and its endless list of possible meanings, and decided he needed to focus on now. He needed to treat him a little better. Be Cas's friend like he was supposed to be. The bunker was there home after all and it needed to feel like it for all of them. Dean was pretty sure they were in Sam's room by the smell. All deodorant and dusty book scented everything. Poor Sam! He was probably stuck with Garth because of this storm. Not that Garth wasn't a great guy, but any sort of lockdown situation with him would be a little too intense for Dean's liking.   
"Found them!" Castiel sang happily as he rounded the corner into the room with the flashlight tucked under his arm, blinding Dean .   
"God!"  
"No Dean." Castiel said placing the bottle of Tylenol beside Dean and accompanying it with a headshake. "Castiel. Remember?"  
"I know who you are! I just won't be able to see now is all!" Dean rubbed his eyes with one hand and attempted to block out some of the light with his hand by shielding his face.   
Castiel sat down on the bed and let out a breath, dropping the flashlight and his other supplies down on the bed. His other supplies included about seven slightly used candles, a matchbook, and a couple packets of fruit gushers. "And there we are." Castiel said arranging his newly gathered supplies in a neat, orderly line on the comforter in front of Dean and himself.   
"You grabbed fruit gushers? You may just be my new favourite person." Dean snatched up a packet and yanked it open with his teeth. He dumped a couple gushers in his mouth and bit down happily. "Oh man, those are so awesome."  
Castiel smiled and pulled a match out of the book. He held it between his index finger and thumb, gazing at it. He hadn't really had to light a match before. He held it under his nose and inhaled, it was weirdly pleasurable smell and his shoulders sagged under his t-shirt.  
"You going to use that Cas?" Dean asked.  
"Yes, sorry." Castiel slowly brought the match to the back of the book and just held it there, hovering over the thin cardboard. They did this all the time in movies, just like this. It should start a fire at any moment. Any moment. About fifteen seconds passed and Dean and Castiel lifted their heads from the match, staring at each other expectantly with eyebrows raised.  
"Cas…?"  
"Dean…?"  
"Here." Dean gently pulled the match and matchbook from Castiel's hands. He quickly struck the match against the rough strip on the package and the end ignited in a warm and very bright fire. He held up a candle and lit it, set it on the bed and picked up another one, doing the same. The small amount of light seemed enormous because of almost overwhelming darkness in the rest of the bunker. Dean looked up and Castiel's eyes were wide, gazing at the tiny flames in front of him. "It's just fire Cas!"  
"I know. But how did you do it?"  
"Oh! It's easy, here." Dean handed over the match and book. "Now just drag the match across that little strip really fast."  
Castiel looked down at his hands and some of his deep brown hair fell onto his forehead and in front of his squinting eyes. He dragged the match over the stripe slowly once, then twice, three, and even four times until the match bent.   
"No Cas, it's easy, just… here." Dean pulled Cas's hands towards him and wrapped his hand on top of Castiel's, in the same position. Cas's hands were so smooth and gentle. He squeezed Cas's hand, "Here. Now put your fingers close to the end and you quickly drag the match right over top the stripe." Dean slid Castiel's fingers down towards the head of the match. "Ok don't be worried about burning your fingers because you move them right away. Ready?" Dean drew their hands back to the edge of the book, poised at the ready. "And…go." The match, held in-between their fingers, scraped across the stripe and ignited in a small, soft orange flame. Dean looked down at their overlapping hands holding the tiny piece of wood, and dropped his hand.   
"And that's all there is too it. Just light the candle." Dean rubbed his hand across his face.   
Castiel smiled and brought the candle to the wick of each candle, lighting the rest of them to cast of a small, warm glow. Had he done something else wrong? Dean couldn't go anywhere so he would have to open up eventually. Castiel collected the candles in his arms and got off the bed to disperse them around the room. He could feel Dean's eyes following him as he set them on the bedside table, the dresser and the bookshelves.   
Dean rubbed his hands down his leg, massaging his calf and bringing some small stabs of pain to the surface. He shook his head trying to clear it of whatever that just was. That whole encounter was just a little too close for comfort. Cas paced about the room, dropping each of the candles in different spots. His t-shirt kept sliding up his back when he reached up to the higher shelves and Dean could see the small of his back. Why was he noticing that? He should not be noticing that.  
Cas sat back on the bed beside Dean, and looked at his now illuminated face. His face was half shadow and half soft light. His jaw looked hard and his eyes tired. "What do we do now?" Cas asked in a low gravelly voice, an almost whisper.   
"Well, we don't really have anything else to do but… talk." Dean said with a shrug.  
"Oh! What should we talk about?  
"Well… how do you like the bunker?"  
"It's really nice. I mean, it's comfortable, and cozy. You like it which is nice." Castiel smiled, crossing his legs to sit and face Dean.  
"Yeah, I think this place is awesome! I mean I have my own room and there's tons of space and a garage full of sweet cars."  
"It's your home." Cas grinned. It was obvious that this was where Dean wanted to be and where he wanted to come back too every day.   
"Yeah," Dean smirked, "It's the best place I could have thought of. How do you like your room?"  
"Oh it's quite nice! I like my bed especially." Castiel said with fondness.  
"You should personalize it a little more."  
"I don't know what you mean." Castiel cocked his head over to the side and peered at Dean in confusion.  
"Like get some posters or something in there! You know, some books and movies. That type of stuff."  
"I don't know any movies."  
Dean's jaw dropped open, "None? You don't know any movies?" He began racking his brain. "Star Wars? Saving Private Ryan? E.T., Die Hard? Anything?" Castiel shook his head from side to side.   
"Nope." He looked at Dean and fiddled with the hem of his cotton tee.   
"Well I know what we're doing this weekend." Dean said with a sigh and laid down on the bed, staring up at the roof.   
"Ok! What movie will we watch?" Cas asked with a small bounce, eyes lit up and glinting with excitement.  
"What are you interested in?"  
"Is there a movie of Romeo and Juliet?"  
"Romeo and Juliet?" Dean said nearly spitting at the thought of Shakespeare. "Yeah there's some movies about that."  
"Can we do that?" Castiel asked leaning in.  
"Sure Cas." Dean said with a shrug, giving up for the time being.   
"Alright Dean." The two of them sat there in a moment of silence. Castiel watched Dean stare at the ceiling. "Dean?"  
"Yes Cas?" He asked turning his head to look at Castiel.  
"What do you believe in?"  
"What?" Dean's face contorted into one of near disgust at the question.   
"What do you believe in?" Castiel repeated.  
"Come on, Cas."  
"Please? I really want to know." Castiel asked, leaning in to rest his elbows on his knees and his face in his hands.   
Dean stared at him a moment, debating whether or not it was worth it. Did he need to talk about this? How honest did he have to be? He had no choice with Cas, it was always just complete and total honesty with him. "Well, I believe in God and that I was made for a reason. I believe in family, 'cause that's all I have. And I guess I believe in-" he stopped himself. Dean could see Cas leaning in and watching him intently. "I believe in good. I know believing in good sounds stupid and I'm a moron for putting any faith in it, but it's there. I've had some crappy hands dealt to me, but I have to think that there's some good just waiting for me to come and grab it. It wants me to have it and I just haven't found it yet. Otherwise, I don't know what I'm doing. There has to be something out there for me, you know?" Dean's eyes landed back on Cas's and he saw a million different things there in his eyes: compassion, hurt, frustration and hope.   
Castiel stared at Dean mesmerized. Dean still had that glimmer of hope in him that something good was coming his way. He was someone who had every right to give up long ago and he hadn't at all. Cas was going to make damn sure that he found his happiness eventually. Castiel uncrossed his legs and laid down on the bed beside Dean. He propped himself up on his elbow and looked down into Dean's face that was so earnest and insecure. "I think you will get it Dean. It's just been hiding is all." He smiled reassuringly.  
Dean looked up into the deep and endless blue above him. He had never admitted that to anyone before. Dean didn't feel so tired anymore, in fact he almost felt energized. "You always make me talk like a chick, you know that right?"  
Castiel chuckled, "No, I didn't know that."  
Dean smirked, "Hey, what about a more basic question for you? Like What's your favourite colour?"  
Castiel had to grin at that, "Well if you must know, I think I would have to say Green."  
"Really? Why's that?" Dean said with mock over eagerness and a wide grin.   
That's how the rest of the evening and early morning went. The two of them swapping questions, sharing stories and just laughing at each other and also nothing in particular. The things they talked about were simple and frivolous really but they paid more attention to each other then they had in anything else in a long time. Neither knew how late it was by the time they fell asleep but all the candles had burnt out only minutes after they both drifted off. The power came back on around five AM and Sam got home around ten the next morning.   
Sam called out both of their names into the bunker repeatedly. He searched the kitchen, library, lab, and both of their rooms. When he decided that they must have gone out, Sam strolled into his room to find Dean and Cas lying on top of his bed. They faced each other and in the half a foot of space between their chests their hands laid on top of one another. Both looked happy and peaceful and Sam knew that they must have been like that all night. Slowly Sam tip toed out his room and closed the door. He leaned door and smiled a wide, and silly grin. It finally happened.


	4. The New Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean and Cas wake up for the second time together but the tension between them is a little different. Charlie stops by for a visit just in time to join Sam in third wheeling and the two of them decide to get Dean and Cas together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this is so late but finals and auditions and stuff got in the way. Hope to update again soon! As always feel free to comment or ask questions!

Castiel opened his heavy eyelids with great effort and the first sight he saw was Dean fast asleep. His face was about a foot from his, eyes concealed by closed lids. His sandy brown hair was a little all over the place, sticking out at some odd angles and falling onto his forehead. The corners of Castiel's mouth drew up into a smile and he took a long, slow deep breath in. He could smell Dean's sweet soap smell and the smell of bacon from somewhere. He looked down at his body and saw yesterday's clothes as well as his hand resting on top of Dean's, their skin warm. His hand looked like a blanket protecting Dean's. There really wasn't any rush to go, why not just stay here and enjoy this? Last night had done something Castiel didn't know would happen; it seemed to have fixed them. He and Dean talked for what must have been hours. They talked about food, music, movies and traded so many stories. Dean had even told him about the time he and Sam set off fireworks in an empty field. Castiel hadn't actually seen fireworks before though but was curious of their magic now. He dropped his head back to the mattress, lost in the memories of last night. He made Dean laugh, really laugh the way he almost never did! If Dean was happy Castiel was doing his job. He was really enjoying the time with Dean too. Dean was so sweet and funny. Castiel had always found anytime with Dean enjoyable but lately, before the other night, he had been getting more excited for time with Dean. He got these weird feeling in the pit of his stomach, almost like he was going to be sick, but good! It felt almost like a fluttering was the best way to describe it. Just a large amount of energy that was unsettled in his very core. He had noticed that his face would hurt after their interactions because of all the smiling. And in times like these, where he and Dean were physically connected somehow, his skin would tingle and buzz. It electrified him like the lightning did the air last night. Castiel looked down at their hands again and pictured what his hand would look like intertwined with Dean's and a shiver ran down his spine. Dean was so upset after the last night they spent together though, and Castiel still didn't know why for sure. He had always had a little animosity towards Cas being in what Dean called "personal space". Maybe their contact set Dean off? Reluctantly, Castiel dragged his hand off of Dean's and rolled onto his other side with his back to Dean. He could feel his body lose that rush that had just been flowing through him and became lost in thoughts of him and Dean together and already regretted pulling away.  
The pain in Dean's leg had subsided through the night with the help of painkiller and rest but it still had a light throbbing. Dean opened his eyes and glanced around blearily. He saw Sam's hunter green bedspread and a pile of blue cotton and denim lying across from him. He licked his lips and blinked a few times to get a clearer picture. He and Cas must have fallen asleep at some point. What time was it? He felt around in his pockets for his phone and checked the time: 11:00 am. They stayed up pretty late, until probably four or five? It didn't feel late last night though. That was the first time Dean really had fun in ages. He didn't even remember the last time he had such a good time. Dean smiled again and felt laughter tickling the back of his throat. Cas could even tell Dean was sorry for the way he had treated him all day and just moved past it. It wasn't made into a big deal and that never happened. Presently Cas looked so innocent and cold with his arms wrapped around himself and legs drawn close to his chest. He had definite bed head but that didn't seem much different than Cas's usual hair. It couldn't hurt to just hug him right? Warm him up? The guy was asleep after all! Dean slowly scooted himself across the bed towards Cas until he was only a few inches from his back. He slowly lifted his arm and placed his hand on Cas's waist and slid his hand down to wrap around him. He inched closer and pressed his face against Cas's back and closed his eyes. The cotton of Cas's t-shirt felt so soft against Dean's scruffy face and he buried his face into Cas's back while taking a deep breath. He smelt like fresh laundry and it was invigorating. His arm brushed against Cas's and he felt that same sense of panic he felt when Cas had wrapped his arm around him because Cas's skin on his shouldn't feel so damn charged and exciting. He didn't want to stop though, so he moved his entire arm right against Cas's. Dean could feel the heat between them growing, almost burning between his chest and Cas's back. The friction between their arms seemed to triple what it normally would because he was sensitive to any touch from Cas and then all movement from Dean stopped. What if Cas woke up? He would never be ok with Dean touching him like that! Dean slowly lifted his arm off of Cas and rolled to the opposite end of the bed. He sat up abruptly and set his feet on the floor and tried his best to get up without falling with little success. He nearly fell over as he tried to stand up and quickly hobbled out of Sam's room following the smell of a cooked breakfast.   
Castiel rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling. Dean had just held him. He had to say, he wanted to do it again. Castiel pushed himself up into a sitting position and ghosted his fingers over the area where Dean's touch had been and he had little bumps all over. He set his feet on the floor and started the walk to the kitchen for breakfast with a smile on his face and hands still on his arm.   
___________  
"Ah, Food!" Dean bellowed excitedly while rubbing his hands together. "Bacon and pancakes Sam? This is great!"  
Sam looked up from the newspaper he was reading at the kitchen table and smirked, noticing that Dean hadn't even bothered to change yet. "Only the best right?" Dean began loading his plate and Sam noticed him limping around the kitchen. "What happened to you?"  
"Wha-" Dean turned with a piece of crisp bacon dangling out of his mouth. "Oh! My leg." Dean tugged the bacon out of his mouth and pointed it to the door. "Last night the fricken power went out while I was leaving, so I fell down the stairs to the garage! I think I just banged it up bad is all." Dean turned back to his full plate and picked up the maple syrup to pour on his pancakes.  
"Oh! So you just ended up staying here then?" Sam asked looking back to his paper, already knowing the answer.  
"Yep. Cas helped me out and then we just hung out here." Dean said setting his plate on the table and taking a seat opposite Sam.   
"Oh yeah. How'd you sleep?"   
Dean shoved a large chunk of pancake in his mouth and began chewing. He wasn't a great liar, especially to Sam. "Same old. Nothing special. Had a rough time finding my room in the dark!" He said chuckling nervously between each bite.   
"Good morning Sam!" Castiel stood in the doorway, also still in his clothes from yesterday.   
"Morning Cas!" Dean said with much more volume and exuberance that expected. Cas looked so good in his t-shirt. Sam looked at Dean over his paper. He had not been expecting that type of reaction from Dean.  
"Hello Dean," Cas said through his smile and he put his hands in the front pockets of his jeans. Dean and Cas held each other's gaze, grinning like morons. Finally Sam cleared his throat to remind them he was there and they both jumped in unison.   
"Lots of food for breakfast Cas." Sam informed him.  
"Thank you Sam." Cas turned towards the pancakes and bacon in the pan on the stove. With a full plate, Cas shuffled over to the kitchen table and took a seat next to Dean. Sam could almost see the waves of tension radiating between the two of them as Cas dug into his food. Cas was looking at his plate but kept "sneaking" glances at Dean. His eyes would flick from Deans wrist to his shoulder or follow his fork to his mouth. Dean wasn't much more subtle. He was still freaked about something but he was a different freaked today. Instead of the brooding Dean from the day before, he was positively jumpy and anxious.  
"Well that was delicious!" Castiel remarked after he cleaned his plate. "Thank you very much Sam." He stood up from the table and put his dish in the sink. Castiel turned to look at the both of them, from Sam's face to Dean's. His lips turned up while looking at Sam and his smile grew enough that you could see the majority of his teeth when he turned to Dean. Dean, who had been watching Cas this entire time, smiled back for what seemed longer than necessary.   
"Hey Cas?" Sam asked, breaking the silence.  
"Yes Sam?" Castiel turned and looked at Sam expectantly.  
"How did you sleep last night?"  
"Oh! Well your bed isn't as comfortable as mine but it did just fine. It was big enough for Dean and I to share so it was nice!"   
Dean's face which had been quite content and gleeful, dropped at the mention of his name and he tried to say something but it was too late. Sam had a big, stupid smirk on his face at Cas's words. "Good." Sam said, trying to hold back some laughter. Castiel strode out of the kitchen in the hopes of a shower.   
Sam picked up his fork and began breaking up his pancake, stuffing a couple pieces in his mouth while looking up at the ceiling and around the room. Dean looked at Sam with wide eyes, waiting for him to say something.  
"So you slept with Cas?" Sam asked, his smirk barely containing the pancake in his mouth.  
"I did not sleep with Cas!" Dean quickly spat out at Sam. Sam's eyebrows raised suggestively and he swallowed his pancake. "I slept with Cas. That's all."  
Sam stood up and swatted Dean's shoulder with the newspaper. "Right, because that's different."  
__________

The rest of the week took an interesting turn. Dean's jumpiness had escalated into school-girl giddiness. He couldn't seem to keep his hands off of Cas, and found any reason to touch him. Lengthy pats on the shoulder, arm around him on the couch, lingering finger touches when they passed things. It was sweet, affectionate, and it was driving Sam insane. He was truly happy for the two of them but it was just so frustrating because neither of them seemed aware it was going on. It was painfully obvious that now more than ever before, they were in love. Having the two of them do their flirtatious dance all day, every day was becoming agonizing to watch. Five years of withheld and stamped out feeling were just bubbling up around them and creating a sea of romantic tension around them. Their feelings had continued to grow every year but after their two nights together, they couldn't seem to suppress the want for each other any longer.   
Charlie's spontaneous visit provided the perfect opportunity for Sam to consult someone else on Castiel and Dean's relationship.  
"Charlie!" Sam greeted, wrapping the tiny redhead in his arms.  
"Oh! Hey Sam!" Charlie said surprised by his exuberance. "Thought I would just pop by for a visit"  
"Yeah that sounds awesome!" Sam said with a grin. He pulled her close to his side and mumbled through a forced smile "Thank God you're here. There's some serious stuff going down."  
"Oh?" Charlie asked with concern.   
"Charlie!" Dean yelled up to her with Cas not far behind. They both stopped in the middle of the room and stood only an inch or so apart.  
"Oh-" Charlie said blinking down at them. "Oh…" She said again, drawing the word out with a grin. "I gotcha." She mumbled back to Sam through her smile. "What's the happs guys?"   
"Same old same old," Dean said with a welcoming hug at the bottom of the stairs.  
"Nothing really new here at all!" Cas said, also with a hug.   
"Ain't that the truth." Sam said under his breath  
The four of them went into the kitchen for a homemade lunch of grilled cheese prepared by Dean. They sat around the kitchen and many glances were exchanged. Dean and Cas kept looking at each other and Charlie and Sam made eye contact every time Dean and Cas would. By the end of the meal Charlie had gotten a very clear picture of what it must have been like for Sam the past week. He was third wheeling, big time.   
"So are they together then?" Charlie asked Sam as soon as they had a moment to themselves. Dean and Cas went to pick up some food for the night and a couple movies.   
"Nope!"  
"Are you sure? They looked pretty together to me."  
"Well I'm pretty sure they're together just not "together"." Sam said accompanied with proper air quotations.   
"Ah. Well we have to do something!"   
"No!"  
"Come on! This is Dean we're talking about! He's never had anything this good and you don't want him to grab it?" Charlie asked amazed at Sam's lack of assistance. "You know as well as I do, if there's anyone who deserves a big reward in life it's Dean. The guy will literally die for anyone." There was a big pause and then Sam perked up.  
"What would we even do?"  
"Tell them!"  
"You can't just tell them they're in love with each other!"   
"Oh, sure you can. It's easy."  
"You don't think they know?"  
"I'm sure they know! They just don't know that everyone else knows already."  
"How do they not know that?"   
"Love makes people so blind" Charlie added with a sigh.   
"Agreed. So I'll tell Dean and you'll tell Cas?"   
"Well…" Charlie drew out.  
"What?"  
"Maybe I should talk to Dean. He's a little new to this whole dating another guy thing"  
"Oh. Good call."   
With Charlie and Sam's plan set in stone, they just needed to wait for the perfect opportunity to get Cas and Dean to themselves. That opportunity wouldn't arrive until the morning after their movie night. Their movie night consisted of watching Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring because Cas had never seen it, and Sam and Charlie watching Dean and Cas flirt the entire time. Sam and Charlie sat on the couch while Dean sat in a lazy armchair and Cas on the floor in front of the TV like a little kid. His legs were crossed and he leaned back against the bottom of the old corduroy couch. Dean would do things like get up to bring the snacks to Cas and sit down with him for a few minutes before reluctantly getting up to return to his chair. Eventually Cas would throw some of the little gummy bears at Dean to get his attention and then ask him all sorts of questions about the movie. It was annoying as hell but adorable and more entertaining than the movie. The movie ended and all of them straggled off to bed in the early hours of the morning. Sam made sure Charlie watched Dean and Cas's night time interactions. After an awkward maneuvering around each other in the bathroom, the two of them stood outside Dean's room like a couple against the lockers in high school. They stared into each other's eyes and just kept talking.   
"Goodnight guys!" Charlie said cheerfully.  
"Goodnight!" Dean and Cas said in unison.   
Charlie went to bed that night with a smile on her face, laughing to herself. She hadn't seen anything like that in years. It was sweet, gentle, innocent, sexy and loving. They were both so involved in everything that each other said, they didn't dare look away. She nestled under the sheets and could feel her own giddiness bubbling up inside of her. She was going to be responsible for putting together one of the greatest romances of all time. Well, at least it felt that way to Charlie. That night she drifted off to sleep listening to Dean and Cas's voices softly permeating through the walls.   
_______________

"Dean, we need to talk." Charlie said while plopping next to him on his bed.  
Dean dropped his arm holding the gun he was cleaning and looked up into her face with cautions eyes. "…Alright?"  
"Well…I guess I'll just jump right in!" She positioned herself so she could face Dean as best she could with one leg crossed on the bed and the other dangling off the edge. "So… how long have you been in love with Cas?"  
Dean's eyes went wide, and he felt himself go into panic mode. He started fidgeting, passing the gun between his hands. He rubbed his fingers over the pearl handle and his stomach seemed to have dropped down deep into the Earth. "I-" Dean tried to make eye contact with Charlie and searched for some sort of answer in her face. "I…" Oh God. Of all the things in the world, she had to throw that on the table. "I- I don't!" He twisted the gun around and tapped it in the palm of his hand. "What would make you say that?"  
Dean really wasn't going to make this easy. Charlie brushed her flaming locks over her shoulder and settled onto the mattress, ready for the long haul. "It's ok Dean."  
"Charlie I'm-"  
"Dean," Charlie placed one hand on the gun twisting between his hands and grabbed his face with the other, tilting it up to look her in the eyes. "I know."  
Dean could feel his hands trembling and his whole body gave a shudder. "Look-" Charlie was looking at him with so much kindness and patience in those big eyes. He let out a shaky breath and combed his hands through his spiky hair. "A long time okay?"  
She felt the corners of her mouth turn up into a big grin and nodded. "Okay. I just want you to know you can talk to me Dean. It's totally cool if you like the dude. He's a pretty great one." She let her hand fall from his face and into her lap.  
Dean could feel the heat in his face, blushing and trembling. Damnit. This is not the way he had really hoped this would come out. He actually never expected this to come out at all! "Yeah, he is." Dean looked down at his shining gun and set it down beside him on the bed. "Um…" He thumped his hands on his thighs and bit his lip. "I don't really know what to say I just-" Dean let out a sigh and pulled his hands down his face. "Ok. Cas."  
"Right. Cas."  
"Cas is… well I like him. I mean I really really like him. A lot!"  
"And it's awesome times infinity!"  
"Right! I mean he's just so cool and funny. I mean he and I had the best time the other night!" Dean stood up and started pacing around the room. Charlie could practically see the excitement and energy radiating off of him. "And he's just so kind and the best friend I have. He does so much for me and Sam all the time."  
"He's a great friend to you guys for sure."  
"And he's always done that! The guy even raised me from Hell! And then… and then we were just so… good you know."  
"What do you mean were?" Charlie asked.  
Dean stopped pacing and put his right hand in his jean's pocket. "We were us you know? We had it perfect and then the other night…"  
Charlie was getting worried. What could have happened the other night? They had been so flirty it must have sorted itself out somehow. "What?"  
"Well…I was having a nightmare which is fine. Except I guess I was a little vocal with this one. So Cas being Cas, came into my room and…well he stayed with me." Dean looked into Charlie's face and couldn't make out her reaction. "What?"  
"That is adorable." She said in a whisper while staring at Dean with wide eyes. If she hadn't thought that they were meant to be together before she certainly did now. "But- what's wrong with him staying with you?"  
Dean took a deep breath and let it out, crossing his arms over his chest. "It's different. You know?"  
Charlie squinted her eyes at Dean, "I don't really think I do."  
"Well now there's just this weirdness. What the hell am I supposed to do? I mean, we can't be normal anymore." His arms fell to his sides and his eyes softened, coloured with worry and insecurity. He shifted from foot to foot. Charlie pushed some hair off of her face, stood up, walked over to Dean, and wrapped her arms around him.   
"You were never normal." Dean chuckled at that and wrapped his arms around her tiny frame. "It's part of what makes you so great." He rubbed his hands up and down her back and pulled her close.   
"Thanks." He murmured into the top of her head.  
"You know, no one cares who you love Dean. Guy, girl, human, angel. Just as long as they make you happy, as happy as you make us." Dean gave her a tight squeeze and gently pushed her away to look her in the face.   
"You know you're awesome right?"  
She shrugged, "I've been told." Dean pulled her in again and then released her.   
"What do I do now?"  
Charlie sighed, "Well, he obviously likes you too! So why don't you make a move? Put some moves on him!"  
"I can't do that to Cas!"  
"Why the hell not?" Charlie crossed her arms over her chest.   
"Cause he's-"  
Then Charlie caught on. "Oh" She smiled again, "He's different."  
Dean nodded and a sheepish grin crept onto his face. "Yeah. And besides I just… I can't do that." Dean let out a shaky breath and his eyes pleaded with Charlie to cut him some slack. Maybe she didn't care but he did and Cas would never do anything like that. Even if he did feel the same way, Cas wouldn't go for it and the signs that Sam and Charlie saw were just Cas being Cas.   
Dean had done a lot today. Admitting any feelings like that was a big step, and she knew she shouldn't push him. "Okay. Just, think about letting him know ok?"  
"No promises." Dean smirked at her before wrapping his arm around her shoulder and directing her out of his room. "So, you got anyone special?"  
_____________

Sam knocked on the wood archway to the study area, attracting Cas's attention. Castiel looked up from his copy of Romeo and Juliet and saw Sam leaning against the wall.   
"Hello Sam!" Castiel said, folding the paper's thin corner down and closing the cover.   
"Hey Cas, can I talk to you?" Sam asked, pulling the chair out from across him. He slid into the seat and brushed his hair out his face. Telling the Angel who was in love with his brother to tell his brother of his love was a conversation he never expected to have. Explaining this sort of thing to Cas could have some serious problems.  
"Of course Sam. What would you like to talk about?" Cas folded his hands on top of one another, pleasantly waiting for Sam's response.   
"Well, it's about Dean actually." As soon as Dean's name was out of his mouth, he could see Cas's eyes brighten and he shifted, leaning into their conversation.   
"Oh! What about him?"  
"Cas, do you feel something for Dean?"   
"Of course!" Castiel said smiling. Sam's mouth dropped open at that. He was not expecting this to go so easily.   
"Really? Because Charlie and I have been noticing stuff and we just wanted to encourage you two."  
Cas's eyes got into their typical squinting position and he cocked his head to the side, "Encourage us?"  
"Yeah, you know! Make the move! Take the plunge. Just… go for it." Sam said with an enthusiastic arm swing.   
"Go for what?" Castiel unfolded his hands and leaned his face into his palms.   
"Well you know, tell him you're in love with him."   
Castiel just stared at Sam for a solid minute before he looked down to the table and then back to Sam. He leaned back in his chair and looked up for a moment like he was looking for an answer written on the ceiling and then back to Sam. "In love with Dean?" he asked slowly.   
Oh God. Those were not the feelings Cas had been talking about. "Well, yeah. Are you in love with Dean?"  
"I don't know Sam. I don't really know what being in love is like or what it means."   
"Oh! Well it's like... ummmm" Sam's eyebrows furrowed together and he was at a loss for words.  
"I mean I have feelings for Dean. My feelings for him are stronger than my feelings for anyone else."  
"Well tell me how Dean makes you feel!" Sam said, getting comfortable in his seat.   
Castiel's interest perked up and he looked at Sam. "I'm always excited to see him, I-I have sweaty palms, we have a lot of fun together! And I get this unsettled feeling in my stomach, he also smells so good! Even when he says he doesn't." Castiel smiled, and looked away from Sam and at the memory of sleeping pressed against Dean.   
There was no doubt in Sam's mind that Cas was in love with his brother. "Cas, I was in love once. A long long time ago."  
"Really?"  
"Yep. She was amazing. She was flawless, well at least to me." Sam said tracing his own hand with his fingers and remembered the sensation. "But, being in love is what…well it's what these two had!" Sam held up the copy of Romeo and Juliet. "They're in love. They want to be around each other, they're drawn to one another, want to touch each other and will do anything for each other."  
"Oh," Castiel took the book from Sam's hands and opened it up to his marked place. He read over the lines.   
Romeo:  
If I profane with my unworthiest hand  
This holy shrine, the gentle fine is this:  
My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand  
To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss.

Juliet:  
Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much,  
Which mannerly devotion shows in this;  
For saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch,  
And palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss.

Romeo:  
Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?

Juliet:  
Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer.

Romeo:  
O, then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do;  
They pray, grant thou, lest faith turn to despair.

Juliet:  
Saints do not move, though grant for prayers' sake.

Romeo:  
Then move not, while my prayer's effect I take.  
Thus from my lips, by yours, my sin is purged.

Juliet:  
Then have my lips the sin that they have took.

Romeo:  
Sin from thy lips? O trespass sweetly urged!  
Give me my sin again.  
Castiel closed the book, "Is there another way to tell if I'm in love? I just don't know Sam." He asked worriedly.   
Sam racked his memory for a clear sign and then smiled a big grin. "Kiss him. If you truly are in love with him, when you kiss him you'll feel…fireworks."  
"I don't know what fireworks are Sam."   
"Well you’ve kissed people Cas. What did you feel?" Sam asked. This was harder than he thought.   
"It was nice, soft." Sam looked at him expectantly.  
"And?"  
"That was it."   
Sam rubbed his hand through his hair and put his head in his hands. "Trust me, if you're in love, when you kiss Dean you'll feel something else. Something absolutely explosive."  
"That doesn't sound pleasurable Sam." Cas said with fear in his eyes.  
"Trust me Cas, a good explosion." Sam pushed his chair back from the table, smiling as he strode in the direction of the kitchen. He stopped suddenly though and Castiel looked up to see Dean and Charlie together.   
"Well guys, it's been awesome staying here but I've got to hit the road for a little bit. I'll see you for fourth of July right?" Charlie asked, with bags in hand.   
"Absolutely!" Sam cheered.   
"Can't wait" Dean said with a nod.  
"Awesome! See you guys." Charlie nodded at them, picked up her begs and headed for the stairs. She left the bunker with Castiel, Dean and Sam a little lost in thought, and memories.


	5. Explosions in the Sky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, so sorry I haven't posted in so long. It has been an interesting few months, but I'm getting back into my groove and I really missed writing about these two and their love for each other.

Dean tossed the keys to the Impala in the air and caught them again. "Come on Sam! Cas! It's go time!" They were waiting to drive the short distance to Lebanon's Fourth of July party to meet up with Charlie, Kevin and Garth and Dean was very anxious to leave. He had been looking forward to this day for weeks. Holidays were always the best part of the year because they were the perfect excuse to do nothing but have fun. Dean was ready for it too; he had lawn chairs in the trunk, a wallet full of cash and two people who were taking far too long to get ready. "I'm going to leave" he warned while adding a tapping of his foot to the tossing of his keys. If either of them ruined this night he was going to be pissed. He had a grey hoodie tucked under his arm just in case it got chilly during the evening and even put on his favourite green t-shirt. The night was going to be full of games, barbecue and finally a classic fireworks show. "God" He dragged out the word through clenched teeth and rubbed at his eyes.  
"Relax, we're here." Sam said with an eye roll as he strolled towards the steps.  
"Where's Cas?" Dean asked, throwing his arms out,  
"Sorry, here!" Cas jogged up the stairs, nearly tripping over his untied laces.  
Dean could feel himself begin to smile and he rolled his eyes. "What took you guys so long? You had all day."  
"Well we were ready until Cas realized he hadn't showered in… well too long." Sam said with a nudge of his elbow to Cas's side.  
"It was a week" Cas said proudly.  
Dean looked at him and couldn't help but let out a small snigger at his pride in not showering. "Alright, come on. I don't want to miss anything!"  
"We have all night!" Sam notified him.  
"Doesn't matter!" Dean retorted.  
The three of them climbed into the sweltering Impala and drove off towards the party with the summer wind blowing in the open window and the slowly setting sun behind them. Dean glanced back in the rear-view mirror at Cas, bathed in the orange light from the sun and staring out the window. He truly looked angelic. He had that handsomeness that only people working on Wall Street ever seemed to have, like he was born to live the right life, always put together, and with the right job. Never a hair out of place, but Cas was this weird exception because he had everything out of place. His hair was always a mess and his clothes wrinkled and he didn't understand anything to do with humans at all. He was this strange collection of contradictions. He was an Angel, but had gone against God instead of serving him. He was a good man, but had done terrible things. He was the best companion, but had abandoned Dean while he was in purgatory. He was so different from anyone else Dean had ever met. He was just… Cas. And Dean needed him so damn much. Castiel turned his face away from the window and caught Dean looking at him in the rear-view mirror and a friendly smile spread across his face. Dean felt a warm feeling similar to that of the sun's glow in the pit of his stomach and he smiled too. He couldn't help it. He gripped the steering wheel tighter and reached over to turn up the volume to Can't Fight This Feeling Anymore by Air Supply. Sammy must have slipped it in. He looked away reluctantly from the mirror and Castiel's beaming reflection and back towards the gold tinted road surrounded by corn fields.  
The three of them pulled into the grassy, makeshift parking lot around seven. Families were milling around darned in red, white and blue. Picnic blankets and lawn chairs were on the back of every other person and the air carried laughter, music, and the smell of cooking meat. Castiel could feel his eyes widening as the car slowed to a stop. There was so much going on, so many places to look. He opened his door slowly and slid his feet out into the hazy summer air. Everything just smelled so fresh and alive. He barely heard himself utter an awe-filled "wow" when the main center of the festivities came into view. He walked between Sam and Dean and could tell their eyes were on him, taking in his reactions, but theirs weren't much different. It was good for them all to get out of the bunker for a night and do something that wasn’t a job. The grass was shining green, vibrant, and in heavy contrast with the crisp white tents that housed game stands and little stores. Red, white and blue streamers hung from tall poles that were set deep into the ground and a large banner read "Welcome to the Fourth of July Carnival" in large curly letters with a little star to dot the "I". He stopped underneath the banner, spinning around and around just to take it all in before he felt a strong hand on his forearm.  
"Cas" Dean said gently  
Castiel turned his head to look Dean in his eyes, the very green eyes that were shining in the sun. The flecks of gold in his iris's becoming bolder and brighter as Castiel watched them. "Yes?" he asked, still dazed.  
"You're going to hurt yourself if you keep doing twirling like that." Dean dropped his arm and put his hand on Cas's shoulder. "Come on, Charlie said they were near the entrance" He guided Castiel closer to the hot bed of festivities. He knew he shouldn't blow such an innocent gesture out of proportion but he could feel this intense rush of energy running through him when Dean touched him. He shivered a little in the warm sun and rubbed his arms feeling the same small bumps he had before.  
Ever since Sam had talked to him about the feelings for Dean, Castiel had begun what could be his own form of research. He googled movies about love and romance on Sam's computer and found as many books, and movies about it as he could. Since the week and half that they had their talk, Castiel had watched at least fifty romantic movies including: Casablanca, Sabrina, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Pretty Woman, Say Anything, Gone with the Wind, Titanic, Notting Hill, When Harry Met Sally, and dozens more. All the characters were supposed to be in love, and Castiel was really almost just as confused as ever. He had no idea what being in love felt like before, but now he almost had too many ideas. He had taken notes and studied them every chance he got. Eye contact was key, he and Dean had a lot of that. Making speeches about feelings also seemed to be a big part of it. The physical intimacy between people was always emphasized. He and Dean were lacking more so in that area, especially since almost all the couples in those movies seemed to have intercourse. He and Dean had definitely not done that. The movies also talked about "that moment". As far as Castiel could understand, the moment was when you no longer cared about any fears, you realized how much you loved the person and you told them how you felt.  
He didn't tell Dean what he was doing, just spent night after night watching movies. Sometimes Sam or Dean would join and sometimes they would leave him be. He and Dean hadn't fallen asleep together since the night of the storm but were humming along like their usual selves. He missed it. He missed the pressure of Dean's arm around him and the sound of his deep breathing, the hot breath he felt on his neck. Most of all he just missed knowing that Dean was with him. When Dean slept with him, the worries of the day drained from his body, and he became completely relaxed. It was almost as if all the evil, awful things in the world never happened. Dean was at peace when he slept and he made Castiel feel the same.  
"Hey!" Dean greeted, stretching his arms out to hug them. Castiel was pulled out of his thoughts at the sight of all his friends and greeted them with hugs as well.  
"Hey guys!" Charlie greeted cheerily. She smoothly removed her sunglasses to get a better look at them all. "I swear you grow every time I see you"  
"I think you just forget how giant Sam is" Kevin said with a laugh  
"Haha very funny, I'm humongous" Sam said sarcastically.  
"Oh hush! C'mon, let's get this party started!" Charlie said, wrapping an arm around Dean's shoulder and leading the way into the heart of the festivities.  
The festival was in full swing. The crowd was thick with people, all full of joy, smiles on their faces. Workers were coaxing willing customers to their blinking games and bells were continuously going off. There was much cheering and laughter coming from every direction and it instantly perked everyone's moods. The intense heat from the day was beginning to thin out and the coolness of the evening crept in as the sun continued to shrink lower and lower. The six of them walked in pairs through the grass, taking in their options. There was ball toss's, horseshoes, balloon popping, volleyball, Frisbee, hot dog eating contest. There was one booth in particular the caught Dean's eye instantly.  
"Stop! Time to stop." Dean stopped in his tracks and held up a tanned arm to halt the group. They stopped abruptly and their eyes followed Dean's before they let out a long collective groan. "What!?"  
"Pie? You want pie now?" Kevin asked  
"I always want pie."  
"Hold up there slugger," Garth grabbed Dean's arm and held him back. "The time for pie is yet to come. It's game playing time right now."  
"But the pie-"  
"Will still be there when you get back" Sam said with a laugh and Dean frowned and sighed.  
He glared at all of them before muttering "Fine" and kicked the ground with his toe. "What are we playing?"  
__________  
"Yeah!" Dean cheered with a highfive to Cas. "We were awesome." He praised with a big grin, and they had been. They figured they should start off the evening with a friendly race of some sort to get in the competitive spirit, so the six of them entered the three legged race. Charlie had partnered with Garth and Sam with Kevin. Sam was way to big compared to Kevin for them to work together and wiped out flat on his back after two steps, taking Kevin down with him hard. Charlie was a little more competitive than Garth it seemed. She bolted as soon as the man said go and Garth was trying his hardest to keep up, but the poor guy didn't have a chance and fell. Charlie just kept going though, dragging Garth behind her through the grass. Right before they started, Dean turned to Cas at the starting line and said "Alright, you and me. Work together and if either of us are falling behind we fall back. It's a lot harder to get up and keep going then to just speed up." Cas nodded that he understood and the man said go. They started slow but quickly surpassed everyone else while they fell into a perfect rhythm. Charlie was dangerously close which was impressive because she was dragging someone with her, but Dean and Cas crossed the finish line first. Dean threw his arms high up in the air in victory before high fiving Cas. As soon as Dean said "We were awesome", he took a step forward and was pulled down onto his back when Cas didn't follow. Castiel was pulled down on-top of Dean when he fell and rolled onto the ground beside him on the grass. After the shock of the fall, Castiel looked through the thin blades of grass at Dean looking back at him with a goofy face from having the wind knocked out of him. His eyes wide and lips open and askew. They looked at each other for a moment before they both burst out laughing and couldn't stop. Their bodies heaved with the laughter and when they tried to get up they forgot they were tied together, so Dean tumbled onto Cas this time. The two looked at each other and then started laughing all over again. Castiel shook from not only his laughter, but Dean's body under him. Sam, Garth, Charlie and Kevin watched them, already untied from their partners with smirks on their faces and began to laugh too.  
"Ok, guys. It wasn't that funny" Charlie said with an eye roll.  
"Honestly" Sam said.  
"C'mon you jokers" Charlie held out a hand to Castiel. He grabbed her hand and pulled her down on top of them. Charlie shrieked and fell on-top of Castiel and began laughing hysterically too.  
"Guys!" Charlie said between shrieks of laughter.  
"Well if you can't beat 'em" Garth shrugged and hopped onto the top of the heap.  
"Good God." Kevin muttered with a smile and walked towards the pile to break them up. Dean tripped him and he fell with a shout.  
"What the hell." Sam said giving up and dropped right on top of the pile and all five under him let out a hard groan and kept laughing.  
"Smile!" commanded one of the workers while holding up a camera, and snapped a picture of their hysterical giggling group.  
______________  
Dean stomped his feet on the ground, clutching a plate with a large piece of warm apple pie in one hand and a fork in the other. "This is soooo good!"  
Kevin chuckled, "Ok, it is pretty good" he took another bite of his own piece. "I have to admit you were totally right"  
They all played a game of volleyball which Cas, Sam and Charlie creamed Dean, Garth and Kevin at, and continued with playing horseshoes, ring toss, darts, and the pie throw. The pie throw got Dean moaning and groaning again, so they finally gave in and let him get his pie. They huddled onto a picnic bench bathed in the glow of the lantern on their table, and the fairy lights strung in the bushes and trees above them. All of them had pieces of homemade pie on paper plates that they were enjoying enthusiastically, but none as enthusiastically as Dean.  
"Mmm" he moaned, "Ah!" He said around another bite of the warm apple, cinnamon, sugar and pastry. "Wow." He rolled his eyes upwards to the sky. "My my that is some awesome pie."  
"Do you need some time alone with your pie?" Sam joked. They all snickered, looking at Dean's dreamy expression.  
"I wouldn't mind some" Dean took another bite and made an exaggerated smile, "Mn-mmmm! That is some pie. I would marry you." Dean chuckled at himself and licked his fork, "How's your pie Cas?"  
He hadn't said much at this entire time, just sat there on the end of the bench with his eyes closed beside Sam and Charlie. He slowly opened his eyes and looked at all his friends. "That." He said pointing at the pie with his fork, "is the most delicious thing I think I've ever eaten." He smiled and cut another piece off his slice, lifting it up to his face, smelling the sweet aroma before putting it in his mouth.  
Dean smiled at his enthusiasm and locked his hands together in fist. He rested his head on his hands and gave Cas a long hard look. "So, you're saying I'd have to fight you for the rest of that piece?"  
Castiel swallowed the piece of pie in his mouth and grinned at Dean. "You already had a piece."  
"What can I say? Its good pie. Now give me-" Dean moved, to break off a piece of Castiel's pie but he slid it away. "You mind moving that back over here?"  
"I do." Cas took another bite of the pie.  
"Well…if that's the case, I may just have to-" And then Dean lept off of the bench and started rounding the table to Castiel, but Castiel was too fast and also got up and began running across the dark grass with his pie in hand. "Give me that pie!" Dean bellowed as he chased after Castiel.  
"Nope!" Castiel shouted over his shoulder with chuckle. He made a sharp turn and jumped over a low bush. Dean jumped over the bush too with ease and his feet landed with a soft thud before he continued his pursuit. Castiel didn't dare look back, he held his pie up high above his head and shouted "You'll have to catch me if you really want it!"  
"Hah!" Dean scoffed, "It won't be long!" He gritted his teeth and picked up his pace, his breathing becoming shallower. If he could just get a bit closer…He could feel himself beginning to sweat a tiny bit and it felt quite cool on his neck. He could tell Castiel was wearing down slowly and then he made to turn but had to dodge a narrow tree instead. Dean dove and tackled Castiel to the cool ground, landing on top of him.  
"No, the pie!" Castiel giggled underneath Dean's weight and looked at the pie that was thrown a few feet away, still on its plate. With great effort, Castiel shifted his hips and began crawling towards the dessert. At the mention of pie Dean also began scrambling in the direction of his favourite dessert. He got past Castiel and when he was about a foot away, Castiel had gotten to his feet and jumped on top of Dean.  
"Ugh!" Dean grunted under Castiel's weight and rolled over. "That one hurt." He moaned in between laughs. He opened his eyes and looked up to see Castiel's face above his with a halo of light from the tiny lights strung through the trees, smiling a silly grin. He was perfect. "Cas-" but then he felt pieces of pie pastry and sugary apples mush into his face. "Ah, I've been hit!" Dean laughed, enjoying the sugary sweetness. Castiel laughed while he twisted his hands and rubbed them all across Dean's face like a canvas until he felt his work was complete. He rolled off of Dean and laid on the grass in fits of hysterics at his own work. He shut his eyes and banged his fists on the ground until he felt the remnants of his pie get squished into his face. "How do you like it now?" Dean roared, smearing the dessert in every plane of Castiel's face.  
"Dean, no!" Castiel spat out between giggles.  
"No? No what?" Dean teased.  
"No more smushing! I give! You win!" Castiel yelled.  
"Damn right." Dean said stepping over Castiel's body as it shook with laughter. "Come on, we better go find everyone before the fireworks start." Dean offered out a hand to Castiel and he grabbed it, allowing himself to be pulled up to his feet. They started the walk back to their picnic table swaying and bumping their shoulders into each other. They both licked off the remnants of pie off of their own faces.  
Castiel stopped in his tracks, "Where'd they go?" The picnic table they had all shared was empty aside from Dean's balled up sweater.  
"Those asshat's didn't even wait for us." Dean stood befuddled. He grabbed his sweater off of the table and tucked it under his arm.  
_________________  
"So." Dean began, shoving his hands in his jeans.  
"So." Castiel smiled. After they realized the rest of their gang had left them, Dean and Castiel began the walk to the open part of the field for the firework show. The pathway through the trees was almost empty besides the vendors cleaning up their booths and tents. They were taking their time, legs gently swaying ahead with a carefree ease, shoes shuffling across the grass. Castiel ran his right hand through his hair, mussing it even more before letting his hand drop back down to his side. A chill ran through him visibly and he crossed his arms over his chest to warm himself.  
"I haven't ran like that in a long time" Dean said with a heavy sigh. "Feels good".  
"I thought you kept up pretty well" Castiel said with a grin.  
Dean rolled his eyes "Hey, where there's pie".  
"Only you would chase someone down for a second slice of pie"  
"You know it! Dean nudged Castiel's side with his elbow. They both chuckled and continued walking lazily under the twinkling lights above them in the sky and in the trees. The sky was free of clouds, just a vast expanse of black with pinpricks of stars dotting it. The stars were brighter out in the country with no smog to get in the way or other lights to distract. It was one of the reasons that Dean loved it so much in Kansas. When you were in Kansas, you were never too far away from having the best view of the night sky. A warm breeze continuously rolled through, carrying the sounds of summer on its back: laughter, leaves rustling, grass being walked through, and birds overhead singing a lullaby of their own.  
"Summertime is very different than the rest of the year" Castiel said softly.  
"How so?" Dean asked with raised eyebrows.  
"People are different."  
"You're being vague Cas." Dean shook his head  
"Sorry. Well, everyone seems happier. And it's… unpredictable."  
"Summer isn't unpredictable. Our lives are just unpredictable."  
"Maybe, it's not the same though." Cas shivered again and ran his hands over his arms.  
"Jesus Cas, here. Take this." Dean stopped, pulling the sweater out from under his arm and unzipping it in one fluid motion. He held it open for Cas to put his arms through and straightened it once it was on Cas. "There" he said zipping the sweater halfway up his torso, "better?"  
"Much." Castiel shoved his fists into the sweaters pockets, not looking away from Dean's face. Dean's eyes didn't stray either, looking over Castiel's face and finally shrugged his shoulders.  
"Good." Dean turned back in their original direction. They continued their walk, both growing red in the face.  
"Your clothes smell very nice Dean."  
"Jesus Cas!" Dean groaned, dropping his head down before throwing it back, looking at the sky. He massaged his temples and sighed, grumbling a "you can't say that".  
"Sorry Dean. They just smell like you is all." Castiel said embarrassed.  
"Can we just enjoy the party please?"  
"Why is the fourth of July such a big deal Dean?" Castiel asked curiously.  
Dean furrowed his eyebrows in thought before answering, "well it’s a big deal because it's about independence, you know?"  
"No I don't know. Independence from what?" Castiel asked, puzzled.  
"Well, I don't know. But it’s important because we live in America and America is the best place in the world. You can be yourself because no one controls you."  
"Aren't you always yourself?"  
Dean sighed heavily, and crossed his arms across his chest. "Not everyone is. It's hard for some because even though they can be themselves, they don't want to be because who they are isn't who they should be. Who they should be is the other guy, the one who has it together and has it all." Dean said, voice wavering slightly at the end.  
"Why are humans so afraid? They're always so troubled." Castiel shook his head in frustration and gulped in some air. His lips parted in a smile and he looked at Dean's exasperated face. "Sorry Dean."  
Dean's lips curled up slightly in a sort of sheepish grin and nodded, "don't worry about it, we don't make any sense." He said lowly with a note of finality.  
They had reached the field where everyone else had already gathered. Clumps of families were standing staring at the sky awaiting the first firework. Castiel stopped and began whirling around and the strings of Dean's sweater whipped across his chest.  
"Whatcha' doin' Cas?" Dean asked slowly, putting a hand out and stopping his spinning body for the second time that day.  
"Looking for Sam and Charlie and-"  
"Cas, we're never going to find them out here" Dean surveryed the throngs of people around him, "there's hundreds of people here and its dark, we won't be able to see their ugly mugs." Castiel's eyes were wide in confusion and he stared at Dean blinking. "We'll just stay here".  
Cas stood still and steadied himself, "Ok. When are they going to start?" Castiel asked impatiently.  
"Any minute now they-" And Dean saw it shooting upwards, a tiny glittering bullet of light shooting up into the dark sky. "There." Dean turned Cas's body quickly to see the firework. Castiel's eyes widened, following it higher and higher, his jaw dropped slowly and he stopped breathing for a moment. The firework, hundreds of feet into the air exploded with a sharp, deep CRACK and gold light shot around the sky in a delicate circular design. Castiel jumped backwards at the sudden noise and stumbled over his own feet. Instead of meeting the hard ground, Castiel is instead gently caught midair in a pair of strong arms. He's still staring at the sky though as another firework goes up and shatters, covering the expanse of sky with blue and red this time. He is gently helped to his feet by the arms still wrapped around his chest and then a switch turns on his mind that the arms around him are someone else's and the deafening explosions of the fireworks become much softer and distant like they were miles away.  
Dean slowly let out a shaky breath, his arms still holding Cas. He was holding Cas and he really didn't want to let go. In fact he could feel his arms pulling Cas' back closer to his chest and he was surprised Cas couldn't feel his heart pounding through. He wasn't certain, but he was pretty sure he could feel Cas leaning into him too. Suddenly Cas smelled so much stronger, like grass and fresh air. He could see every pore on his neck and the stubble lining his pale jaw. Dean could feel his body relaxing into the embrace and he leaned his head forward, resting it on Castiel's shoulder. It was foreign to him, but in a way that made him only want to pursue and continue into this unknown territory.  
Castiel felt Dean radiating this deep burning heat and his body reacted without thought. He twisted around so he was looking Dean in the eye and he couldn't look away. His irises were outlined with black and seemed to be endlessly deep. The freckles dotting Dean's nose and cheeks were almost glowing like they were shards of the sun itself.  
"Dean" Cas started, the fireworks continued being released into the air and illuminating Dean's face. "I think-" but he stopped. He couldn't get his mouth to form the words, so his mouth just stayed slightly open. And then almost like magic, time slowed down and Dean's lips parted in a big smile, before reluctantly coming back together. His eye lids closed over his green eyes and he inched his face closer until his lips made contact with Castiel's own. He felt the first brush of Dean's soft, pink lips and then they pressed against his own in a soft chaste kiss.  
Dean can hear fireworks going off. The ones in reality paired with the ones in his own mind and it's an earth shattering kind of sound. And all the frets and worries Dean had about a moment like this, about the possibility of this something becoming real dissipate and he just feels the moment that he's in. The taste of apple pie on Cas's lips, the rough stubble of his upper lip rubbing against his own, the softness of his sweater on Cas's body, the smell of grass and heat of the summer evening and the laughter and love of families all around them. And that's the only thing that matters anymore.  
Only about thirty feet away Charlie feels a soft elbow to her side and looks to Sam for an explanation. He simply extends one hand and points at Dean and Cas in a tight embrace and sharing an innocent yet passionate kiss. Charlie can feel herself grinning as big as Sam is and elbows Garth in the side, bringing his attention to the scene as well. They all share a glance that says "finally" and turn their attention back to the other firework show going on.  
Finally Dean reluctantly breaks the kiss, pulling back mere inches from Castiel's face. "Cas, I think I'm a little crazy about you." He wets his lips, and shrugs "I've been crazy about you for years. And I just was hoping that, I make you a little crazy too." Dean's eyes were on Castiel's searching for an answer.  
Cas ran his hands up Dean's arms and wrapped them around his neck, and whispered so low that it was barely audible "You've always been able to make me crazy Dean." Before Dean could let out another word Castiel leaned up and pressed his lips to Dean's in kiss that was simply them and he realized that they had reached their moment.


End file.
